Notes:

Obituary for Muriel Sower, Bellefontaine Examiner, April 22, 1937

LONG ILLNESS ENDS

Miss Muriel E. Sower Will Be Buried at West Liberty

Kindred of this city have had word of the death of Miss Muriel E. Sower, which occurred at the Ingham Sanatorium in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, April 21.
Miss Sower had long been ill of tuberculosis. She was 30 years old and the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. G. W. Sower, their only child. The family home was in this city a number of years ago.
Miss Kate Windsor, Oakland square, is an aunt of the deceased, and Hershel Strayer and Ray and Willis Strayer are cousins of the deceased.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Methodist church in Lainsburg, Mich. Burial will be made in the West Liberty cemetery Monday at 3 p.m.

Funeral notice for Murial Sower, Bellefontaine Examiner, April 23, 1937

Interment of Miss Muriel E. Sower, whose death occurred Wednesday at Lansing, Mich., will be made Monday at 2 p.m. in the West Liberty cemetery. Funeral services were to be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Methodist Church in Laingsburg, Mich . MissSower was the only child of Rev. and Mrs. G. W. Sower, and the family home was in Bellefontaine a number of years ago.

Notes:

In Grant Sower's obituary there is no " s" on his name. The correspondence I have addressed to him also spells his name Sower. I believe my mother Mabel Sowers told me a dispute between brothers resulted in the spelling differences but I dotw any details.

His obituary states that Grant Sower spent his early years in Ohio in Logan and Champaign Counties where he attended high school, Normal school and the old Urbana University. He traced his lineage to the founding of Philadelphia in 1681. Eac h of the eight succeeding generations of the Sower family had contributed a Methodist minister. Rev. Mr. Sower was married to Louena Windson, daughter and granddaughter of Methodist ministers. Following his marriage Rev. Sower spent four year s teaching school and was superintendent of schools at Rushylvania before deciding to devote his life to the ministry. His first charge was at Rossville in 1895 and he served 18 years in the Ohio Conference before transferring to the Detroit co nference in 1913. in 1936 he went on a retired basis and the next year he and his family moved to North Muskegon, Michigan, where he served eight years until ill health caused him to retire in 1945. Rev. Mr. Sower was widely known as a lecture r and writer of special articles and poetry. While in Fenton, Michigan, he was appointed in 1925 a special speaker for the League of Nation's World Court Association in recognition of his platform work and press articles on international affair s which were widely circulated.

I have in my possession in 2000 a scrapbook containing poetry and articles written by him as well as letters from President Coolidge's secretary.

Grant married Louena Windsor on 8 Sep 1891 in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Louena was born on 15 Dec 1872 in New Holland, Ohio; died on 26 May 1954 in North Muskegon, Michigan; was buried in Fairview Cemetery, West Liberty, Logan County, OH. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mrs. Grant Sower's obituary states she was the last of a family of four children of Rev. and Mrs. A. H. Windsor. Survivors in Bellefontaine at the time of her death were Mrs. Charles Bewley, 536 east Sandusky Avenue and Mrs. W. M. Hildreth, teet, nieces. A nephew was Easton Windsor, west Columbus Ave.

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Notice, West Liberty Banner, dtg. September 17, 18
91
SOWER-WINDSOR - at the residence of the bride's parents near Bellefontaine, Ohio, September 8, 1891, at 8 o'clock p.m., Mr. Grant W. Sower, of West Liberty, and Miss Louena Windsor. The marriage was solemnized by Rev. John. I. Hillman in the pr esence of a few friends and relatives of the contracting parties. The happy young couple were the recipients ofa number of nice presents and many hearty good wishes. They will live in Kennard, near which place, Mr. Sower is engaged as a schoo l teacher for this Fall and Winter.

Notes:

Notes for SAMUEL SOWERS:
1850 Census, Ohio, German twsp., Clark County, Page 46B, Dw
elling 633, has Samuel living with his mother, age 24.

1860 Census, Indiana, Richland twsp., Grant County, page 359, dwelling # 826, has Samuel listed with wife Mary, sons Granville and Edward; a daughter Laura. Also in the same household was a Martin Sowers, age 16, born in Ohio. Relationship to Sa muel unknown.

1870 Census, Ohio, Brown twsp., Miami County, Dwelling 306, Page 265B, has Samuel Sour living with wife Mary E.; one daughter, Laura E.; four sons, Edward, John, Elmer and Grant.

1880 Census, Ohio, Harrison Twp. Champaign County 2-2-21, 13-13
Samuel Sower 54 M OH VA VA
Mary E. 53 M OH MD OH
Edward E. 22M OH OH OH
Laura E. 20 F IN OH OH
John K. 18 M IN OH OH
Elmer E. 16 M IN OH OH
Ulysses G. 12 M IN OH OH


Death Notice, West Liberty Banner, dtg. October 1, 1891
DEATH OF SAMUEL SOWER
Mr. Samuel Sower, a well known farmer, who resided on the Forsyth farm north of town, died Tuesday, September 29, 1891, about noon, after an illness of over three weeks with typhoid fever. He was about 65 years of age.
The funeral services will be held at the M. E. church in this place, Thursday, at 2 p. m. conducted by Rev. John. I. Hillman.

Obituary, West Liberty Banner, dtg. October 8, 1891
Samuel Sower was born near Springfield,Clark county, Ohio, January 31, 1826, and died at his home near West Liberty, Logan county, Ohio, September 29, 1891, after an illness of about three weeks. Typhoid fever was the immediate cause of is d
On January 2, 1851, he was married to Miss Mary E. King, of Tremont City, who still lives to mourn the loss of him who had been her companion for more than forty years. Nine children were born of this union; four sons and one daughter remaiheir mother.
Mr. Sower had been a farmer most of his life, and his integrity was unquestioned by all who knew him. In 18?? he was converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal church. That bright experience never faded from his memory and he loved to re of his conversion. For a number of years he held the important position of class leader and was a zealous worker in the cause of Christ. Of late years his infirmities prevented the activities of former years, but he never lost interest i n the church and the consciousness of Christ's presence and power. As his pastor I visited him a few hours before he died. His face would brighten as I tried to talk to him of his Savior and the promises of God. He assured me that all was wel l and just before I left, with considerable effort he exclaimed, "Precious Jesus." It seemed as if he wanted to give one more testimony to the saving power of Christ. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."
J. I. H.


Death book 2 p. 324 for Logan County records the death of Samuel as October 29, 1891, but I believe that is wrong as I found two obituaries for September 29, 1891.

Samuel married Mary Ellen King on 2 Jan 1851 in Tremont, Ohio. Mary (daughter of John King and Susannah Rhodes) was born on 17 Aug 1826 in Tremont, Clark County, Ohio; died on 27 Dec 1893 in West Liberty, Logan County, Ohio; was buried in West Liberty, Logan County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

1850 Census, Ohio, German twsp., Clark County, Page 30B, Dwelling 405, has Mary living with her parents, age 22.
John King 52 MD, shoemaker, Susan 44 OH, Mary 22 OH, Elizabeth 20, James 19, William 17, Oliver 14, Matthew 12, Lutetia 10, Thomas 8, Sarah J. 6, Harriet 4


OBITUARY - West Liberty Banner, dtg. Thursday January 4, 1894, West Liberty, Logan County, Ohio.

DEATH - MARY E. KING was born August 17, 1826, near Tremont, Ohio, and died at her home near West Liberty, Dec. 27, 1893, aged 67 years, 4 months and 10 days.
She united with the M.E. church in 1845, being a member for nearly forty-nine years. She was married to SAMUEL SOWER, Jan. 2, 1851, at Tremont. Of this union, nine children were born, eight sons and one daughter. The husband and four soner world, leaving four sons and the daughter, and a large number of friends and relatives to sincerely mourn her death.
Funeral services were conducted at South Union church by Rev. Swank, on Friday, and the body was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery.

Notes:

Married:
The marriage record for Samuel Sour is found on p. 241 of V
ol. 3 of the Clark county marriage records.

They applied for marriage on Dec. 28, 1850 as Sam'l Sour and Sarah Ellen King. The official certificate of marriage gives the correct name of Mary Ellen King. They were married by Rev. Jesse Goddard, minister of the M. E. church.

Notes:

Death record from: Clark County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas, Probate
Division, Record of Deaths, Vol. 1 page 214, no. 282. This states
that he was 83 yrs. of age at time of his death. His last place of
residence German Twp. (Clark County, OH)and was a shoemaker by trade.

John married Susannah Rhodes on 8 Jul 1824 in Champaign County, OH. Susannah (daughter of William Rhodes and Susannah) was born on 8 Dec 1808 in Urbana, Champaign County, OH; died on 8 Mar 1880 in Tremont, Clark County, OH. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]